Livewire
by rika08
Summary: It's the biggest downpour of the year in New York! Hawkes, Danny, and Lindsay find themselves aiding a bus full of injured children. But the catch, a down power line threatens the safety of the kids. Can they rescue the kids before the wire hits? D/L


It was the worst storm of the year. Rain poured onto the earth in buckets. Any person caught out would be drenched within seconds. Sewers were backed up from the excessive amounts of rain in only a few days. The Subways were closed due to flooding. Buses were packed and taxis were scares'. Pedestrians, who were unlucky enough to be caught outside, crowded under whatever makeshift shelter they had. Black clouds hovering above the city rumbled threateningly.

Out on in the field, making their way through the storm, were Danny, Lindsay, and Hawkes. They had been called out of the city to a small town. A simple breaking and entry case that ended up being a homicide. Luckily, the case hadn't taken too long. In fact, the drive ended up longer than the case.

Hawkes was driving the department Avalanche. Lindsay was seated in the passenger, while Danny sat in the back. He was leaned against the door, sleeping. Lindsay shook her head. Leave it to Danny to catch up on sleep on the job. Her attention was quickly diverted from Danny to the pouring rain.

"How often does New York see this much rain?" Lindsay asked.

"Every year, just not in one sitting." Hawkes answered.

Lindsay sighed. "This is incredible."

"You ever storm like this out in Montana?" Hawkes asked.

"Oh yeah, followed by mudslides, dogs and cats falling off the roofs, and fixing leaky roofs." Lindsay explained.

Hawkes chuckled. "Well, you won't wake up with a landslide or a cat or dog falling form your roof."

Lindsay nodded. "Nope, just a backed up sewer and no way to get to work tomorrow."

"Can you two talk any louder?" Danny asked. He rubbed his eyes.

"Sorry Danny." Hawkes said.

"Maybe you need to spend your nights sleeping in your place than at your girlfriends', Messer?" Lindsay suggested.

Hawkes started laughing uncontrollably.

"Very funny Montana." Danny said. He swung his arm out to hit her.

Lindsay giggled and moved out of Danny's reach.

"Whoa!" Hawkes yelled. He swerved the car to the side of the road. Lindsay and Danny rocked in the cab of the truck until Hawkes came to a stop.

"What's wrong, Hawkes?" Lindsay asked.

Hawkes pointed ahead of them. "Look."

Lindsay looked out the windshield. She could make out the blurry taillights of another car. Lindsay leaned forward to catch a better look. She gasped in shock as she recognized the vehicle as a school bus. The bus was driven off the road, the tail end sticking up over the railing. The line wire post had been crushed by the bus and now dangled over the bus.

"Oh my god." Lindsay whispered.

"Let's go, they might need help." Danny said.

"I'll call it in." Hawkes stated. He started reaching for his phone.

Danny and Lindsay hopped out of the car and into the downpour. Lindsay zipped up her coat and pulled her hair out of her face. She needed all the visibility she could get. Danny led the way along the roadside. He stopped about twenty feet form the tail end of the bus. The wire danced and sparked over the bus.

"Looks like we ain't gettin' any closer." Danny said.

Lindsay frowned. "Maybe someone on there can hear us?"

Danny shrugged. "Worth a shot."

"HELLO? Can anyone hear me?" Lindsay called.

They waited in the rain, but no answer came.

"ANYBODY ON THE BUS?" Danny called.

Lindsay caught movement in the shadows of the bus. Then a face appeared. A young face. They waved their arms and banged on the glass. "Danny, there."

"I see 'em." Danny answered.

The window of the bus opened. "Help! Help us!"

"It's a school bus." Lindsay said.

"A middle school bus it looks like." Danny replied. "IS ANYBODY HURT?"

"Yes, lots of us are hurt!" the kid replied.

Danny groaned. "Damn it."

"JUST STAY CALM, ALRIGHT! WE'RE GOING TO TRY AND HELP YOU!" Lindsay called.

"Hurry, please!" the kid cried.

Danny turned to Lindsay. "Just how do you plan on moving a live wire off a school bus, Montana?"

Lindsay shook her head. "I don't know yet, but we have to get help to those kids."

Hawkes emerged from the car, still holding his cell phone. "I have Mac on speaker."

"Yo Mac, we got an off road school bus full if kids, and a down power line hanging over 'em." Danny explained.

"_We're looking into unaccounted buses. Have you made contact with the kids?" _Mac asked.

"Yes, one. They say there's injured onboard." Lindsay explained.

"We gotta get those lines turned off, Mac." Danny urged.

"_Understood. I'm sending a crew out there and a few buses. Stay there and keep things calm." _Mac ordered.

"How long will that take?" Lindsay asked.

"_A few hours at least. Things aren't much better here." _Mac answered.

Lindsay looked at the wire. It was so taunting, dancing along the bus, sparkling in the air. "Mac, I don't think those kids can last a few more hours. We don't even know the rate of injure don the bus."

"_I know, and I'm pushing for sooner. Just hang tight." _Mac said.

"You got it." Danny said.

Hawkes closed his phone. "So now what?"

Lindsay walked from the men back to the car. She opened the tailgate of the truck and started fishing through the supplies in the back. Danny and Hawkes followed her to the back. Lindsay dug out a few emergency blankets and the first aid kit.

"What are you thinking Monroe?" Danny asked.

Lindsay gathered the blanket and kit in her arms and headed to the front of the car. "Someone has to get on that bus and check those kids." She opened the door and fished through her kit. Lindsay dug out her flashlight.

"Lindsay, it's too dangerous to get near that bus." Hawkes said.

"To go through the back door, yeah. But if I climb over the railing, I might be able to climb on through the front doors of the bus." Lindsay explained.

"Hell no, Monroe. You're not doin' it." Danny ordered.

"Danny if someone doesn't go in there now, we might lose them." Lindsay replied. She pushed past him, heading for the bus.

Danny and Hawkes followed her. "So who made you the spokesperson here Monroe?"

Lindsay pivoted on her heels and shined her flashlight into Danny's face. "When those kids crashed."

Hawkes stepped between the two arguing coworkers. "Guys hold on. Do you smell that?"

Danny and Lindsay stopped and took a breath. There was something in the air, besides the air. It smelled familiar…like…gas. Lindsay turned back to the bus and aimed her light on the tank. A stream of gasoline seeped from the back of the bus, combining with the water puddles beneath it.

"Oh my god." Lindsay said. She broke into a run for the bus.

"Lindsay!" Danny called. He chased after her.

Lindsay reached the railing near the bus. She dropped the blankets and climbed the railing with the first aid kit in her hands. Beyond the railing was a small strip of concrete for bikers and walkers, but beyond that steep drop. The strip was wide, but it wasn't enough for Lindsay to reach the doors of the bus. However, behind the railing was a tall tree. Lindsay jumped off the railing, grabbing onto the branch. She pulled herself up onto the limb and started making her way for the bus.

"Damn it, Monroe, get back here!" Danny called.

"I can make it." Lindsay replied. She eased herself down the branch toward the bus.

"This is nuts." Hawkes said.

"Tell me something I dunno, Doc. C'mon." Danny nudged him along the railing. He jogged to the bus. "HEY!" The kids face appeared. "OPEN THE FRONT DOORS OF THE BUS!" The kid nodded and disappeared. They could hear the scraping of the doors.

"How you doin' up there Monroe?" Danny asked. He looked up into the tree. Lindsay was lost behind the other branches.

"I'm almost there." Lindsay called. She lowered herself onto the branch and readied to swing to the doors. Lindsay gripped the kit handle with her teeth and grabbed the branch. She swung herself backwards and braced herself. Lindsay swung herself legs back and forth, giving her the momentum to swing onto the bus. Lindsay reached out and grabbed the handle on the stairs to keep herself from falling backwards.

Lindsay closed the doors and looked around. She shined her light around the bus and grimaced. Most of the kids were dead, all slumped over in their seats. The driver was on the floor in front of Lindsay. She was forced to step over him in order to move toward the back of the bus.

"Hello?" Lindsay asked.

Several heads near the center of the bus rose. Every set of eyes Lindsay met held the same look of panic and fear in them. Lindsay continued her way toward the back, closer to the children.

"I'm here to help." Lindsay said.

One of the kids stepped out into the isle. Lindsay recognized him as the boy who'd been talking to them earlier. His hair barely covered his eyes. He wore a striped shirt with white sleeves underneath.

Lindsay smiled. "Hi, what's your name?"

"Billy." he said.

"Billy, I'm Detective Monroe. Can you tell me what happened?" Lindsay asked. She dropped to her knees in front of Billy.

"We were going home from school…and then the bus…started swerving. We hit the railing and the pole came down on the bus. Our teachers said to leave the wires alone…so we did…but we're stuck." Billy explained.

Lindsay nodded. "And it's a good thing you didn't touch it, Billy. Do you know how many students are in here?"

"Only seven." A younger girl came up from her chair. "It's the last stop of the day."

Lindsay nodded. "Okay, stay where you are alright? I'm going to look around."

"Are there people on the way?" the girl asked.

"Yes. They should be here soon." Lindsay said, _I hope._ She walked toward the front of the bus. Lindsay examined the children who hadn't moved when she entered. She checked several for a pulse, but found none. Lindsay sighed and moved along.

"LINDSAY?" Danny called.

Lindsay moved to the open window. "I'm here!"

"What about the kids?" Hawkes asked.

Lindsay glanced at the surviving kids. "Only four made it. There's four more, including the driver."

"Alright, just sit tight. Mac gave us an ETA of twenty minutes on the buses." Danny explained.

Lindsay nodded. "Got it."

One of the kids whined as they shifted in their seat. Lindsay looked over at he kid. She moved from the window to the seat. A small girl was seated against the side of the bus, her leg extended on the seat. She had a deep gash on her right thigh that was bleeding severely.

"Oh no." Lindsay whispered. She knelt on the ground by the girls' leg. Lindsay pulled out several pieces of gauze and pressed it against the girls' leg. The girl cried out in pain. Lindsay winced. "I'm sorry. But I have to stop the bleeding."

The girl nodded, biting her lip.

Lindsay looked down at the gauze. The blood was quickly soaking through it. Lindsay looked around the bus. "Uh…I need a shirt. A rag, something."

Lindsay could hear one of the kids searching through the bus. Billy returned with a thin sweatshirt. Lindsay placed the shirt over the girls' leg and pressed down. She used the sleeves to tie itself around her leg. Lindsay stood and looked to Billy. "I need you to hold that to her leg, okay Billy?"

Billy nodded.

Lindsay walked into the isle and headed back to the open window. "Danny!"

"What's goin' on Lindsay?" Danny asked.

"One of the kids are hurt. She's losing too much blood; we've got to get her out." Lindsay explained.

"The bus is only ten minutes out." Danny replied.

Lindsay sighed. "How's the power line out there?"

"It's getting' closer, Monroe." Danny replied.

Lindsay sighed and lowered her head. If the line touched the gasoline soaked earth, they were as good as dead in the bus. But even if they managed to get off the bus, the kids needed protection from the power line. They could use the jackets, but that wouldn't protect very well against a live wire. There had to be something else they could use.

"Danny, how many blankets do we have?" Lindsay asked.

"Two." Danny answered. "What are you planning this time, Monroe?"

"Do you think you can get them in here?" Lindsay asked.

Danny turned to Hawkes. "Do you think we can?"

Hawkes shrugged. "Frankly, I'm not entirely sure how Lindsay made it onto the bus."

Danny sighed. Lindsay had some kind of plan and he wasn't about to leave her to do it alone. They were CSI's for crying out loud, they had to have something to help them. "Doc, check the trunk for any boots we might have."

"You got it." Hawkes said. He jogged back to the truck.

Beyond the sound of pounding rain and a crackling wire, Danny could hear the sirens of several ambulances and cruisers. The flashing of the lights could finally be seen amidst the rain and flashing of the cable.

Hawkes returned to Danny's side. He held a pair of rubber boots in his hands. "One pair, man."

Danny nodded. "Any gloves?"

"Nothing but latex." Hawkes answered.

The tree above the bus creaked with the storm. Danny and Hawkes traded concerning looks. If the tree gave way, the power line would definitely hit the wire and the bus would explode. They were out of time planning.

"Alright. Hawkes, once they pull up, get hem workin' on holdin' back the line." Danny ordered. He pulled off his shoes and pulled on the boots.

"Danny, what are doing?" Hawkes asked.

"We gotta get those kids outta there now. Lindsay's right, they won't last much longer. Hand me those blankets." Danny said.

Hawkes passed the blankets to Danny. "Be careful, man."

Danny nodded. He jogged toward the bus, keeping close to the railing. He lowered himself as he neared the back door of the bus. "Lindsay."

Lindsay reappeared at the window. "Danny what the hell are you doing?"

"Are all the kids wearing rubber soled shoes?" Danny asked.

Lindsay looked around inside the bus. "Yes, all, but one of the girls can't walk."

"What about you?" Danny asked.

Lindsay shook her head. "No. What are you thinking?"

"Look, I want you get the kids ready to go. When I say so, I want you to slowly open the emergency door. We gotta get you guys outta there now. You hear me Monroe?" Danny explained. He pushed the blankets through the window.

"Yeah." Lindsay answered. She pulled the blankets into the bus. Lindsay looked around for some other clothes for the kids to wear. "Okay. Guess, I need you all to grab something thick to cover yourselves with."

Lindsay watched the kids search on the bus. Some pulled of their jackets and sweaters. Lindsay moved down to the smaller girl and wrapped her up with the blankets. She draped part of it over the girls head and gently covered up her legs. "Okay, here we go. I want all of you to follow me to the back of the bus."

Lindsay carefully picked up the injured girl and carried her to the back of the bus. She set her back down on one of the seats and moved to the door. "Okay, Danny."

"Almost ready." Danny answered.

Lindsay watched as several electrical workers attempted to move the wire from the doorway. The sparking wire danced around the door, but it slowly moved from the door. Lindsay's hand inched for the door, ready the throw it open.

"Now!" Danny called.

Lindsay pulled up the handle and threw the door open. Rain immediately began pouring into the bus. Danny threw himself into the bus, diving onto the floor in front of her. He quickly stood up from the ground.

"Let's go kids." Danny called. He took the first kid and held them out of the bus to Hawkes, who waited out in the rain. Hawkes passed the kids to the waiting paramedics.

Lindsay ushered the kids to Danny. "Go, go!"

"Hurry up!" someone called.

A crash of thunder and lightning made Lindsay's heart stop. She froze, staring out at the sky. Danny glanced out as he passed one of the last kids to Hawkes. The tree outside groaned in protest to the weight of the storm.

"Let's go, kiddo." Danny called. He moved to the injured girl and gathered her into his arms. Danny walked to the edge of the bus. He tightened the blanket around the girls head and jumped from the bus.

The tree groaned in protest again, followed by a defining crack. Lindsay's heart lurched in terror. A crack of lighting struck the tree, sending a splintering effect through the tree. The branch hovering over the bus broke completely.

"WATCH OUT!" someone screamed.

Lindsay threw herself from the bus before the branch could crush the roof of the bus. She hit the pavement and rolled from the bus. The limb crashed onto the roof, caving it in form its weight. The men holding the power line pulled back as the branch ripped the line from their grasp. The line slapped against the ground, igniting the gasoline. The flames erupted quickly, igniting the gas tank. The bus exploded into a ball of burning steel and flaming debris. The children screamed in terror as the explosion shook the air.

Danny turned back to the burning bus. He searched wildly for Lindsay. Danny jogged toward the wreckage, searching for Lindsay. "Lindsay?"

Lindsay was lying on the pavement, mere feet from the burning bus. Danny's heart stopped. Lindsay wasn't moving. Danny jogged toward her, praying she was alright. "Lindsay!"

Lindsay started moving. Slowly, but she was moving. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and knees. She winced in pain. "Danny?"

Danny wrapped his arm around her shoulder and helped her to her feet. "C'mon. We gotta get back."

Lindsay let Danny lead/carry her room the flaming bus. The paramedics were tending to the children, but Hawkes was more than willing to make sure Lindsay was alright. She'd managed to cut her head 7on the pavement from her fall and scrape up her hands. Her right side of her face felt warm and sensitive, but thankfully, she wasn't burned.

"I'll try and get from gauze and bandages from the paramedic. You need that cut cleaned up." Hawkes said.

Lindsay shook her head. "I'm fine, Hawkes, don't worry."

Danny raised his brow. "Very funny Monroe. Go on Doc, I'll watch her."

Hawkes started over to the ambulances.

Danny watched Lindsay sitting on the tailgate of the truck. She wiped the rain from her face, avoiding her cut. Danny couldn't help but marvel at this woman. She'd set her own safety aside to help children, knowing she might die with them. True, Danny had wanted to help, but he'd never have been able to help them like Lindsay had.

"You did good today Monroe." Danny said.

Lindsay looked up and smirked. "You too Danny."

"Hey I hardly did anything." Danny replied.

"You helped get those kids out and that saved all our lives." Lindsay explained.

Danny leaned against the tailgate beside Lindsay. "Yeah, but you climbed onto the bus. You helped the injured girl. You're the one who set everything in motion, Monroe. You're the hero here, not me."

Lindsay shook her head. "I was doing my job."

"Now, see, I don't remember rescuing in our job description." Danny chuckled. He watched Lindsay's smile widened. "You think you can promise something', though Monroe?"

Lindsay looked up at Danny. "Depends."

"Don't scare me like that again." Danny said.

Lindsay slowly opened her mouth to reply, but Danny beat her to the punch. He leaned down quickly, taking her cheek into his hand and kissed her lips. Lindsay felt her entire body freeze from the sudden touch. She didn't know whether to return the kiss or end it.

Danny was her partner. Her work partner. They teased each other and played practical jokes. There wasn't supposed to be anything beyond that. But here they were, sitting on the back of the department car, in the pouring rain, with Danny kissing her.

Hundreds of responses flooded Lindsay's brain. Reason's why she should pull away. Phrases to yell at Danny once he stopped kissing her, yet none of them made her move away. Lindsay blocked every response from her mind and let her heart speak for her.

Her right hand reached out for Danny's, that was still resting on the tailgate. Lindsay's left hand moved up from her lap and overlapped Danny's right hand. She let herself fall into the desire of her heart. Into the moment. Into the kiss. Into Danny. And she never wanted out.

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okay, so this completely random idea that came into my head. but i had fun writing this. I think it's actually one of the first fics where i don't seriously injure one of the main characters.

review please!!


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